The former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Reverend Dr Samson Ayokunle, has told Nigerian politicians that, regardless of their antics and aspirations to rule Nigeria in 2007, citizens will survive.
Ayokunle spoke to journalists in Ibadan on Friday, October 2, 2026 against the backdrop of electioneering for who becomes the president in 2027.
At the 10th anniversary of the Oritamefa Baptist Model School Cambridge A-Level College, Reverend Ayokunle charged Nigerians to persevere through the current challenges facing them.
“What God revealed to me is that whatsoever is happening in this nation, Nigeria, we will survive, and His will alone will prevail. That’s why we don’t give up on this nation, Nigeria.
Reiterating the need to persevere, Ayokunle explained that “In fact, anyone that has given up doesn’t need to be in this country anymore. We see the future, which God take away from men and give to all of us in this country by Himself”.
Proffering solutions to the insecurity in Nigeria, the former CAN President asserted that determined leadership is the way to go.
The solution to the insecurity in Nigeria is more determined Leadership. The time that the leaders are no more complicit in insecurity, that time Nigerians will breathe a sigh of relief.”
Joining many voices on the state of the nation, especially in relation to people’s livelihoods, Reverend Ayokunle, who resisted the urge to rate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, lamented that Nigerians are hungry.
“Well, I’m not his assessor; the masses are his assessors, but let us speak the truth: there is hunger in the land; the cost of living is too high.
“Well, it is good that the subsidy was removed, but what’s the average earnings of Nigerians when we removed the subsidy, as it’s removed elsewhere? We are planning towards the same mind the same explore but do we pay the same salary, do we pay the minimum wage that’s paid in America, in UK and elsewhere?
“What we are paying will deepen the complication of the devaluation in naira has thrown workers into abject poverty.”
Ayokunle also declared that “it is very difficult for Nigerians to breathe economically and this is what a serious government, a government that will not play politics with the lives of the people, must address”.
During his OBMS A-Level Cambridge Anniversary lecture, Rev. Dr. Remi Awopegba, the recently retired church pastor and visionary behind the College, spoke about the institution’s journey and its future.
He emphasised the importance for students to cultivate a global perspective while upholding high standards of excellence.
Awopegba encouraged students not to let their environment or background limit their aspirations. He urged them to adopt a global outlook and maintain high standards in whatever situations they encounter.
“Never let your environment or your background limit your vision. Neither permit discouragement from the experiences of others to deter you. Start where you are, but think global,” he said.
According to him, the vision behind the establishment of the college was to produce students capable of competing beyond their immediate environment.
In his remarks, the Director of the College, Deacon Clement Oke, said the contemporary world does not require teaching younger ones only academic capability; capacity building of the students is also important, noting that the College has embraced this right from the beginning.